Lawmakers Introduce Bill Targeting Overseas Tampering of ELDs

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Two U.S. representatives want Congress to ban people outside North America from changing a trucker’s electronic logging device records.

The GHOSTRUCK Act was introduced June 18 by Republicans Dave Taylor of Ohio and Greg Steube of Florida. The full name of the proposed legislation is the “Guarding Hours-of-Service Oversight and Stopping Tampering by Remote Unofficial Carrier Keeper Act.”

H.R. 93969 seeks to amend Title 49 under the U.S. Code to only allow authorized individuals physically located in North America to edit/annotate ELD records pending driver approval and for other undefined purposes.

“Foreign dispatchers should not be able to manipulate trucking safety records from halfway around the world and put American lives at risk,” Steube said. “Reports have exposed how overseas actors are falsifying driver logs, overworking truckers beyond safe limits and avoiding accountability when tragedies occur. The GHOSTRUCK Act closes this loophole and helps keep our roads safe.”

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires all commercial trucks operating in the United States to have ELDs that track a driver’s hours of service behind the wheel to prevent exceeding safety limits crafted to deter fatigued driving.

The issue of fake electronic driving records is of such growing concern that the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance on April 1 began enforcing a new out-of-service condition for truckers and motor carriers caught disobeying federal driving limits via ELD tampering.

“Beyond powering our nation’s supply chain and economy, our nation’s truck drivers share the road with American families, and there’s nothing more important than ensuring everyone reaches their destinations safely,” said Taylor, who is chairman of the Congressional Trucking Caucus and a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Manual edits to HOS records in ELDs can be performed to remove hours indicating a driver worked when in reality the time was used for rest breaks or refueling.

The congressmen noted that recent reports have revealed “some foreign-based dispatchers have manipulated driver logs to underpay and overwork their drivers beyond safe hour maximums, resulting in serious safety concerns on American highways.”

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They contend the GHOSTRUCK Act would close a loophole enabling foreign-based actors outside the reach of U.S. enforcement authority to avoid facing legal consequences if their driver or dispatcher falsifies records that lead to a fatal crash.

Alex Rosen, legislative affairs senior vice president at American Trucking Associations, thanked Taylor and Steube for working to strengthen accountability and ensure ELDs are used to promote safety.

“Tampering with electronic logs is a growing problem that undermines enforcement, rewards bad actors and puts the motoring public at risk,” Rosen said. “Roadway safety depends on consistent compliance with hours-of-service regulations, and preserving the integrity of electronic logging devices is central to that mission.”

The bill also was also backed by Florida Trucking Association CEO Scott Perry.

“The safety of our drivers and the traveling public on America’s roadways remains the trucking industry’s top priority,” he said, “and FTA will continue to support measures that uphold those standards.”

Other supporters include the Truckload Carriers Association, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the National Motor Freight Traffic Association.

Ryan Streblow, CEO of the National Tank Truck Carriers, lauded the bill.

“Accountability in driver records is essential to maintaining compliance, protecting drivers from undue pressure and ensuring that commercial motor vehicles operate safely on our nation’s highways,” he said.